The JapanÂese have a word for it: kuidaore, “to eat oneÂself bankÂrupt.” This has risen to some comÂbiÂnaÂtion of traÂdiÂtion and aspiÂraÂtion in OsaÂka, Japan’s secÂond-largest city, a forÂmer merÂchant enclave once referred to as the counÂtry’s “kitchen.” You can see exactÂly what empÂties Osakan bank accounts on Al Jazeera EngÂlish’s series Street Food. Its episode on the city (part one, part two), embedÂded above, seeks out the stands that most effiÂcientÂly cater to the citÂiÂzenÂry’s charÂacÂterÂisÂtic busyÂness, the source of the freshÂest sushi around, the barÂbeÂcue counÂters of KoreÂatown, the poiÂsoÂnousÂly-livÂered fugu fish, the ideÂalÂly conÂtroÂverÂsial dish that is whale meat, and a range of food writÂers and critÂics to lay down some culiÂnary insight. The proÂgram finÂishÂes its jourÂney with one visÂit to a culiÂnary acadÂeÂmy and anothÂer to the poorÂer side of this JapanÂese metropÂoÂlis. Being a JapaÂneese metropÂoÂlis with more poverÂty than most but also one a greater love of eatÂing than most, OsaÂka has proÂduced street food even among its street peoÂple.
There you have the basic form of a Street Food broadÂcast, each of which takes on a difÂferÂent world city, all of which operÂate under the theÂoÂry that the best path into a culÂture runs through its alleys most dense with comestible comÂmerce. In the episode just above (part one, part two), MonÂtreÂal’s meetÂing of EngÂlish and French senÂsiÂbilÂiÂties, a slightÂly uneasy coexÂisÂtence in the best of times, turns into an all-out ideÂoÂlogÂiÂcal conÂflict on the subÂject of how to eat. One parÂticÂuÂlarÂly imporÂtant skirÂmish occurs over pouÂtine, the French fry, cheese curd, and gravy dish essenÂtial to any invesÂtiÂgaÂtion of MonÂtreÂal cuiÂsine. In the episode below (part one, part two), we see the eleÂments of SpanÂish and Andean eatÂing finalÂly conÂvergÂing on the streets of Lima — aidÂed, in a big way, by flaÂvors brought in by the Peru’s many immiÂgrants from Asian. AdmitÂtedÂly, the conÂverÂgence isn’t comÂplete, not will it be until Limeños not of native descent come to enjoy the city’s most popÂuÂlar item of street food, with 65 milÂlion eatÂen every year: the guinea pig.
All episodes of Al Jazeera EngÂlish’s Street Food on YouTube:
- BeiÂjing (part one, part two)
- Cairo (part one, part two)
- Fez (part one, part two)
- Jerusalem (part one, part two)
- Kingston (part one, part two)
- Lima (part one, part two)
- LonÂdon (part one, part two)
- MonÂtreÂal (part one, part two)
- NairoÂbi (part one, part two)
- New York (part one, part two)
- OsaÂka (part one, part two)
- PalerÂmo (part one, part two)
- ZanzÂibar (part one, part two)
ColÂin MarÂshall hosts and proÂduces NoteÂbook on Cities and CulÂture. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall.
A good friend of mine, and EngÂlish proÂfesÂsor in Xian, ChiÂna, proÂduces a series by the same name with, apparÂentÂly, the same MO. His episodes are all much shorts, none going deepÂer than five minÂutes, I believe.
I’ll post it here for anyÂone interÂestÂed in checkÂing it out.
http://www.youtube.com/user/cdzadek/videos